Reflections On A Sunday Morning

I have been doing a lot of work and travel. Now I have a moment to catch up and talk to my readers.

One of the most awesome moments in my life was 1994. I was given the privilege to vote in South Africa's first fully-democratic election. The day I voted in Port Elizabeth was sunny and cool. Police and military people were everywhere expecting the worst. A South African Army captain drove me to the polls in his BMW 3 series. I cast my vote. When Nelson Mandela was inaugurated it was another grand day full of hope and wonder. I remember the South African Air Force planes flying overhead and all the procession. I saw a man with a clear vision of the futre and a wonderful heart take over as head of state.

When we look at places like Zimbabwe, we can see how lucky all of us were to have a wonderful man like Nelson Mandela take South Africa through a painful and a tenuous transition to democracy and a place of honor and respect in the world.

I have now been privileged to see another great black leader ascend to power in the USA. Elena and I saw him as a great leader when he made his first speech in 2004 at the Democratic Party national convention. We were delighted when we saw him give his speech in Springfield, Illinois announcing that he was a candidate for president of the US. We knew he had an up hill fight against the Bill Clinton/Hillary Clinton political machine as well as the Republican paty attack machine. We never doubted that he would prevail.

The greatest fear people had was that he would remember all the bad treatment he had received as a black man. Some people felt that he would use the power of the presidency to "get even" with those who had hurt he and his family.

When Barack Obama took the oath of office, he showed himself to be another Nelson Mandela; a man with a heart full of hope and forgiveness.

We are all lucky to have ben blessed with two truly great and wonderful black leaders